Home Office

Police: Convictions

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in respect of each police force, they will give details of serving police officers who have been convicted of criminal offences and given custodial sentences during each of the last three years, giving in respect of each officer the name, rank, police force, nature of offence, date of conviction and sentence.

Lord Bates: The Home Office does not currently hold data centrally on police officers who have been convicted of criminal offences. However, as part of the continuing reforms to improve police integrity, the Home Office has introduced a new data collection via the Annual Data Requirement in 2015/16. This requires police forces to provide data to the Home Office on the number of misconduct cases and criminal investigations, as well as the outcomes of these. This data will not contain the names or details of specific officers involved, and will be collected and published at an aggregate level only. The publication date will be announced in advance on the gov.uk statistical release calendar: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcementsAs I mentioned during the oral question on this topic on 19 November 2015, there is a national “Disapproved Register” of officers struck-off from the police that is managed and maintained by the College of Policing, and available for use by vetting and anti-corruption officers. The College of Policing has begun to publish details of officers who have been added to the struck-off list following a public hearing: http://www.college.police.uk/News/College-news/Pages/Disapproved-Register-.aspx.In the forthcoming Policing and Criminal Justice Bill, the Government will place this list on a statutory footing and require the College of Policing to maintain a published list of all officers who have been dismissed for Gross Misconduct.



Disapproved register
(PDF Document, 111.75 KB)

British Nationals Abroad: Middle East

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to follow the example of the government of Belgium which has passed a law to arrest all suspected extremists who have returned to Belgium from Syria or Iraq.

Lord Bates: The UK has a wide range of disruptive tools and offences under which a suspected terrorist or violent extremist can be arrested and prosecuted. Earlier this year, we legislated, through the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and the Serious Crime Act 2015, to strengthen further our capabilities to deal with the threat from foreign fighters and British-born jihadis who seek to harm the UK, including where they have undertaken prohibited activities abroad.We keep our counter-terrorism powers under constant review.All decisions relating to the arrest, charge and prosecution of terrorism suspects are a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UK Membership of EU

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Prime Minister's recent assertions at the CBI Annual Conference on 9 November that the UK's security is provided through membership of the EU, what assessment they have made of the impact of NATO membership on the UK's security and whether they will continue to oppose any proposals for an EU army or other EU armed forces.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is the cornerstone of our national security, and the ultimate guarantor of our defence. But the EU can play a useful complementary role, for example in missions in the Western Balkans and off the coast of Somalia. We always have, and always will, resist any proposal for an EU army.

Bahrain: Detainees

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recommendation by Human Rights Watch in its report on the treatment of detainees in Bahrain, The Blood of People Who Don't Cooperate, that the UK should suspend funding, support and training for security service reform until Bahrain enacts listed reforms and issues a standing invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government consistently and unreservedly condemns torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority for us to combat it wherever and whenever it occurs. We are aware of ongoing allegations against Ministry of Interior personnel, and we have expressed our concerns to the authorities. The Government of Bahrain has previously committed to consider ratifying the Optional Protocol of the Convention Against Torture. The UK strongly supports this and we have been working with the authorities to share best practice on torture prevention measures. We also continue to ask the Government of Bahrain to allow a visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.We welcome the progress made by Bahrain on their reform programme particularly in the areas of youth justice, the establishment and increasing effectiveness of the Ombudsman’s office, the Prisoner and Detainees’ Rights Commission and the reformed National Institute of Human Rights. We continue to work with the Government of Bahrain to ensure momentum and progress on its reforms, for the benefit of all Bahrainis.The Government of Bahrain has asked the international community for their assistance in implementing the reforms necessary to improve the human rights situation, including in the security services. We strongly support them in their efforts and that is why we will continue to offer bilateral assistance for Bahrain’s reform programmes. In August, following a meeting with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), reiterated the UK’s support for ongoing political reform in Bahrain but encouraged His Majesty to continue to demonstrate substantive progress in all areas. Our package of technical assistance is focused on strengthening human rights and the rule of law, in line with the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and the Universal Periodic Review.

Northern Ireland Office

British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are the UK members of the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly; and to which political group each member belongs.

Lord Dunlop: Responsibility for appointing the United Kingdom delegation to the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly lies with the Lords Speaker and the Speaker of the House of Commons.The current members of the United Kingdom delegation and the political party to which they belong are set out below:MEMBERSLord (Paul) BewCross-BenchBaroness (May) Blood MBELabourMr Andrew Bridgen MPConservativeMs Deirdre Brock MPSNPMr Oliver Colvile MPConservativeMiss Rosie Cooper MPLabourRt Hon Baroness (Jean) CorstonLabourRt Hon Mr Jeffrey Donaldson MP DUPLord (Alf) DubsLabourMr Mark Durkan MPSDLPMr Nigel Evans MPConservativeMr Paul Farrelly MPLabourLord (Robin) GlentoranConservativeMs Helen Jones MPLabourMr Danny Kinahan MPUUPMr Jack Lopresti MPConservativeRt Hon Lord (Brian) MawhinneyConservativeMr Conor McGinn MPLabourMr Nigel Mills MPConservativeLord (Roger) SkelmersdaleConservativeMr Robin Walker MPConservativeASSOCIATE MEMBERSMs Caroline Ansell MPConservativeMs Victoria Atkins MPConservativeMr Tom Blenkinsop MPLabourViscount (Robin) BridgemanConservativeMr Glyn Davies MPConservativeLord (Bernard) DonoughueLabourLord (Reg) EmpeyUUPMrs Margaret Ferrier MPSNPLord (James) Gordon of StrathblaneLabourRt Hon David Hanson MPLabourMr Stephen Hepburn MPLabourLord (John) KilclooneyCross-BenchMs Siobhain McDonagh MPLabourSir Alan Meale MPLabourLord (Christopher) TugendhatConservative

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Higher Education

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to bring forward any legislative proposals, following the current consultation, to give effect to the green paper on higher education Fulfilling our Potential.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: The Government’s consultation on the higher education green paper, Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, closes on 15 January 2016. The Government will issue its response No decisions have yet been taken on the proposals in the green paper or how they would be implemented.

Department for International Development

Asbestos

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the last five years, what proportion of the UK’s aid budget was allocated to research into mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Baroness Verma: DFID has not supported any research into mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases in the last five years.

Department for Education

Castes: Discrimination

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the feasibility study of 2014 on caste discrimination.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are currently considering the conclusions and recommendations of the caste feasibility study as part of our wider consideration of the implications of the Tirkey v Chandok tribunal judgments. We will keep the House informed of further developments on this matter.

European Union: Education

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action, if any, they plan to take to ensure that sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 are complied with between now and 2017 to ensure that lessons and discussions relating to the UK membership of the EU are balanced and impartial.

Lord Nash: My earlier response to Lord Stoddart‘s PQ HL 521 refers:‘Schools are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues. Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 require maintained schools to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. This duty is reflected in the model funding agreement for academies and free schools.In Citizenship education, pupils are taught about local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world. Pupils will be equipped with the skills to think critically and debate political questions.’School governing bodies and academy trusts are responsible for considering if a member of staff has acted improperly in presenting their own views or beliefs to pupils.The Department’s ‘Teacher Misconduct: the prohibition of teachers’ advice is used by those involved in the teacher regulatory process, professional conduct panels and NCTL officials, to identify factors that should be taken into account when considering whether prohibition is appropriate. This advice makes clear that in considering the seriousness of a teacher’s behaviour it is important to consider the influential role that a teacher can play in the formation of pupils’ views and behaviours. A teacher’s behaviour that is judged to promote extremist political or religious views or actions should be viewed very seriously in terms of its potential influence on children and young people and as a possible threat to the public interest, even if no criminal offence is involved.This advice can also be used to indicate to teachers the sorts of behaviour that could constitute serious misconduct, and so lead to prohibition and to help employers make a judgement on which cases should be referred to the NCTL.

Schools: Asbestos

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made in the Comprehensive Spending Review of the number of schools in which asbestos is present in the constituencies covered by the Northern Powerhouse.

Lord Nash: An assessment of the number of schools where asbestos is present in the constituencies covered by the Northern Powerhouse has not been made as part of the Spending Review.The Department expects schools and responsible bodies to address a range of building-related issues, including asbestos, through the more than £4 billion in condition funding over the next three years.The amount of condition funding that responsible bodies receive is partly based on the Property Data Survey, which gathered information about the condition of buildings at 19,000 schools, meaning that our investment can now be targeted where it is needed most. The condition of a school building is likely to influence the level of hazard posed by any asbestos it contains and the information from the Property Data Survey has been considered as part of the Spending Review.

ICT: Education

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to promote the availability of computer-making and robot-making kits for children.

Lord Nash: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 30 November 2015.The correct answer should have been:

There are a number of resources available to support computing education and schools are best placed to decide what will be most effective for their pupils.The national curriculum in computing emphasises the academic discipline of computer science. Through studying topics such as computational logic, algorithms and data representation, pupils are obtaining insight into how the digital technologies that they use every day actually work and understanding how these technology products result from human ingenuity and rational design processes. We want young people to have the opportunity to actively create new technologies, rather than being passive consumers of them.The Government has spent more than £4.5 million over the past three years to support schools in delivering high quality computing teaching. This includes £3 million for Computing At School to build a national network of over 350 ‘Master Teachers’ in Computer Science whom schools can commission to provide training for their teachers.

Lord Nash: There are a number of resources available to support computing education and schools are best placed to decide what will be most effective for their pupils.The national curriculum in computing emphasises the academic discipline of computer science. Through studying topics such as computational logic, algorithms and data representation, pupils are obtaining insight into how the digital technologies that they use every day actually work and understanding how these technology products result from human ingenuity and rational design processes. We want young people to have the opportunity to actively create new technologies, rather than being passive consumers of them.The Government has spent more than £4.5 million over the past three years to support schools in delivering high quality computing teaching. This includes £3 million for Computing At School to build a national network of over 350 ‘Master Teachers’ in Computer Science whom schools can commission to provide training for their teachers.

The Lord Chairman of Committees

Catering and Retail Services (HL): Termination of Employment

Lord Palmer: To ask the Chairman of Committees on what basis the last Deputy Head of Catering and Retail Services left the employment of the administration.

Lord Laming: It is not appropriate for me to answer questions on individual employment matters.

House of Lords: Security

Lord Storey: To ask the Chairman of Committees whether employees of public affairs companies can hold a House of Lords staff pass.

Lord Laming: Yes. Members of the House of Lords may sponsor their staff for parliamentary photo-passes, provided the member certifies that the applicant for the pass genuinely provides parliamentary research or secretarial services for the member or acts as a carer or driver for them.Members’ staff with parliamentary photo-passes are subject to the Code of Conduct for House of Lords Members’ Staff. This requires them to disclose in the Register of Members’ Staff Interests any employment they have outside the House of Lords. They must also register any financial interest in businesses or organisations involved in public affairs or parliamentary lobbying. The Code of Conduct prohibits members’ staff from making use of their access to the parliamentary estate to further the interests of an outside body from whom they receive payment.

Department for Work and Pensions

Mesothelioma

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their most recent assessment of the annual cost of mesothelioma to the welfare budget.

Baroness Altmann: The information is not recorded centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Mesothelioma

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the occupations most at risk frommesothelioma.

Baroness Altmann: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) maintains a register of all death certificates in Great Britain which mention mesothelioma within the cause of death. Analyses of the occupations recorded on such death certificates show that former construction workers, including carpenters, plumbers and electricians, and those who worked in shipbuilding are those most at risk of developing mesothelioma today.A research study to look in more detail at the sources of mesothelioma risk in Britain carried out by Professor Julian Peto supported these conclusions, and estimated that nearly half of male mesothelioma deaths were attributed to building-related jobs including carpenters, plumbers and electricians. These risks are a result of high past asbestos exposures during the period when asbestos was being very widely used within the building industry.Workers today who are potentially at higher risk of mesothelioma in the future – and who are now the focus of strict control measures – are those most likely to come across asbestos during their work, including building maintenance and asbestos removal workers.

Work Capability Assessment

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will release data relevant to the assessment of whether Work Capability Assessment tests are connected to the incidence of suicide or mental health problems of disability benefit claimants; and if so, when.

Lord Freud: The information requested is not available.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Supported Housing

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) local authority, and (2) housing association, supported housing schemes there are in England, and how many residents participate in each type of scheme.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We do not hold this information. More information on the scale, shape and cost of the supported accommodation sector should be available through the evidence review jointly commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions. The review is due to report by April 2016.

River Thames

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the changes there have been to structures on the River Thames in the last 10 years.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Town Planning is the responsibility of London’s boroughs, with a strategic role for the Mayor of London. In this capacity the Mayor has produced a London View Management Framework, which seeks to protect London's most important views, including along the Thames, from inappropriate development. The Government intends, through the Housing and Planning Bill, to devolve further powers to the Mayor of London over safeguarded wharves and protected vistas to enable him to better manage development on the Thames. Furthermore, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government retains call in powers, which he can use to prevent development that would harm any of the three World Heritage Sites that are adjacent to the Thames.

Housing

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the phasing out of Revenue Support Grant to local authorities includes, or otherwise affects, the New Homes Bonus.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government is considering the detailed impacts of the changes to local government funding announced as part of the recent Spending Review. A full consultation exercise on reforms to the New Homes Bonus, reflecting the changes that have been announced and including reforms to improve its impact in incentivising housing growth, will be issued later this month.

HM Treasury

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the press release by HMRC on 25 June, what initiatives HMRC have put in place to improve performance in respect of relieving public frustration at being able to make contact by telephone.

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 9 July (HL896, HL897) and 30 July (HL1654), why according to recent press reports HMRC are still failing to answer telephoned inquiries and complaints from the public within an acceptable time frame.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) recognise that their customer service has not been good enough, and have taken major steps to improve, including recruiting 3,000 new staff into customer service roles, available outside normal office hours when many of their customers choose to call them. The process of recruiting and training the new staff is now complete. These improvements have started to make a difference. This month, HMRC have answered more than 80 per cent of calls, and average queue times are now around 10 minutes.HMRC also recognise that some customers have been waiting too long for a response to their complaint. HMRC have recovery plans in place and their performance is improving week on week.

Tax Avoidance: Self-employed

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, and on what timetable, for changes to IR35 assessments for employees and contractors.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Whilst the IR35 legislation protects in excess of £500 million each year, non-compliance is currently costing in excess of £400 million and is a growing problem.At the Summer Budget, the Chancellor announced that HM Revenue and Customs would open a dialogue with stakeholders about improving the effectiveness of IR35.A discussion document was published on 17 July 2015. The discussion period concluded on 30 September, following the receipt of over 160 responses and 14 roundtable meetings. The Government is now considering the responses.

Public Sector: Redundancy Pay

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of how many public sector employees will be affected by the proposed £95,000 public sector exit cap.

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of how many public sector employees earning below £31,000 will be affected by the proposed £95,000 public sector exit payment cap.

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they are making to protect low- to middle-income earners in the public sector from the proposed £95,000 public sector exit payment cap.

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations they have conducted on the impact of the cap on low- to middle-income earners in the public sector, and what protections were considered when setting the level of the exit payment cap at £95,000.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government set out its proposals for the cap on public sector exit payments in the consultation document published on 31 July 2015 and confirmed the design of the cap in the consultation response document published on 16 September 2015. The consultation document gave details of the number of exits over recent years that cost the taxpayer more than £100,000.The precise number of those affected by the public sector exit payment cap will depend on the number and type of exits in coming years. However, in recent years the large majority of exits in the public sector are below the level of the cap. For example, the Whole of Government Accounts states that, in 2013-14, 1,838 out of 72,445 pay outs were in excess of £100,000.The exit payment clauses currently before the House of Lords in the Enterprise Bill set out how the cap is expected to apply.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Contracts for Services

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that contract staff in all government departments receive the Living Wage at the appropriate rate.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Every employer in the country will pay the National Living Wage, including all Government contractors, from April 2016.

Government Departments: Living Wage

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many directly employed government staff currently receive less than the Living Wage.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Every employer in the country will pay the National Living Wage, including all Government departments and their contractors.The latest data available suggests that 867 current Civil Servants will benefit directly from the National Living Wage from April 2016 as announced by the Chancellor. We estimate that over 20,000 employees will benefit by the end of this parliament.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the Prince of Wales’ visit to the startup academy Wayra UK, they have plans to promote the #iwill campaign.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Cabinet Office has pledged to support the #iwill campaign by ensuring that all young people have the opportunity to engage in meaningful youth social action opportunities. The Cabinet Office has renewed its commitment to the campaign and will invest £1million to support the development of youth social action opportunities in 2015/16. Any future investment will be announced after the autumn statement 2015.

Department of Health

Exercise

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of a recent report by UKactive that lack of exercise is estimated to cause 37,000 deaths annually and cost the UK economy £20 billion a year, what steps they are taking to reduce levels of inactivity.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government welcomes ukactive’s report. It makes an important contribution to the debate on physical activity and builds on the framework for action set out by Public Health England last year in “Everybody Active Every Day”.The Government recognises the health, economic and social benefits to individuals, communities and the nation of increasing physical activity levels. Since 2011, the Government has invested over £450 million in the PE and Sport Primary Premium in order to improve PE and sport. A further £46.5 million has been invested in School Games in order to provide all children, regardless of their ability, with a chance to participate in competitive sport. In addition £13 million has been invested in Change4life sports clubs which targets the least active children and helps them get more active.We are also committed to raising awareness among the public and health professionals of the benefits of physical activity. We have worked with experts to translate the Chief Medical Officers’ (CMOs) guidelines on physical activity into easy messages in the form of an infographic which health professionals can now use with their patients when they discuss physical activity. The UK’s CMOs have now asked the experts to carry out a similar piece of work on physical activity for children and young people. In addition, Public Health England’s Change4Life campaign continues to support families to make healthy choices, including being active.Further action to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour will be taken via the Government’s new strategy for sport to be published shortly.

Influenza: Vaccination

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the rates of flu vaccination so far this winter, and how that compares to previous years.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Flu vaccine uptake rates for groups recommended to be immunised as part of the national flu immunisation programme as at 26 November are shown in the table below for this season and the two previous years. The figures for 2015/16 are provisional and from a sample of about three-quarters of participating general practitioner practices in England.Flu vaccine uptake ratesEligible groups2015/16 (%)2014/15 (%)2013/14 (%)Adults aged 65 years or older64.666.767.0At risk groups aged six months to under 65 years (excluding pregnant women without other risk factors)36.442.443.6Pregnant women (including those in risk groups)35.636.634.0Children aged two years old (including those in risk groups)25.928.534.1Children aged three years old (including those in risk groups)26.930.530.6Children aged four years old (including those in risk groups)21.923.9N/AData source: PHE ImmForm weekly sentinel influenza vaccine uptake data collection.For two to four year olds, vaccine was available about one week later than last year and this seems to be the main explanation for the apparent lower uptake. Communications activity to promote flu immunisation continues - this includes Stay Well This Winter roadshows visiting 67 locations across the country providing advice on flu vaccinations.

Mental Health Services: Discrimination

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 12 November (HL3373), what they intend to do to prevent discriminatory treatment of BME mental health patients, and what assessment they have made of the implications of discriminatory treatment for patients in mental health wards.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We are aware that people from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups often report poorer experiences of mental health services and there is some evidence of people from BME groups experiencing ethnic discrimination in how services are delivered by not ensuring equitable access or meeting diverse cultural needs.The Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010 make it clear that people should not be discriminated against on the grounds of race or mental impairment. People with mental impairments are included within the groups of people with Protected Characteristics within the Equality Act 2010.The Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice makes it clear that decisions relating to people detained under the Act should be lawful and in accordance with the requirements of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010.The Department established the Mental Health Equalities Working Group (EWG) in 2013 to advise on equality and human rights issues, including BME issues.The Joint Commissioning Panel published guidance in 2014, Guidance for commissioners of mental health services for people from black and minority ethnic communities, which set out 10 key messages for commissioners to improve services. A copy of the guidance is attached.The Coalition Government published Closing the Gap: priorities for essential change in mental health in 2014, which included a specific action to tackle inequalities around access to mental health services and we continue to work to achieving that action. A copy of this document is attached.The Department commissioned the Mental Health Providers’ Forum and the Race Equality Foundation to gather and review evidence of effective mental health services for BME groups, which was published this year. The report, Better practice in mental health for black and minority ethnic communities, found that organisations that were successful in providing mental health services that meet the needs of BME groups had developed local community-based approaches to service delivery which addressed cultural and linguistic differences and sought to actively engage hard to reach groups. A copy of this report is attached.NHS England is also working with a number of BME groups and community leaders to raise awareness, reduce barriers and improve the uptake of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) to all sections of the community. We are also working with the National Health Service and commissioners to disseminate guidance and good practice of what good mental health services for BME communities look like.



Joint Commissioning Panel Guidance
(PDF Document, 1.94 MB)




Closing the Gap
(PDF Document, 225.79 KB)




Better Practice in mental health
(PDF Document, 508.31 KB)

Atrial Fibrillation

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to increase the proportion of people with atrial fibrillation who are treated with anticoagulation therapy in order to prevent stroke.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has identified improved management of atrial fibrillation as a priority for reducing premature mortality.NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ) is taking action on atrial fibrillation. It is promoting the use of GRASP-AF (Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation) within GP practices in England. GRASP-AF is an audit tool developed by and trialled in the NHS, which greatly simplifies the process of identifying patients with atrial fibrillation who are not receiving the right management to help reduce their risk of stroke. NHS IQ is currently collaborating with partner organisations, including charities, to support the nationwide roll-out of GRASP-AF.To support this work, NHS IQ recently published an analysis of the costs and benefits of using the anticoagulant drug warfarin to help prevent stroke in people with AF. A copy of this analysis is attached.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also published a Quality Standard on atrial fibrillation in July 2015, which sets out what a high quality atrial fibrillation service should look like and will help drive improvement locally. A copy is attached. The Quality and Outcomes Framework contains indicators for the management of AF which cover the use of anticoagulation therapy. This provides a further incentive for doctors to ensure AF patients receive anticoagulation where appropriate to manage their risk of stroke.Public Health England (PHE) has recently published their Atlas of Variation which includes data on atrial fibrillation. Full data for all 216 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) cannot be included in this reply due to its large size, but a map giving an overview of the results is attached. PHE have also collaborated with the Stroke Association to produce individualised CCG level reports on current performance in the detection and management of patients with atrial fibrillation to try and encourage poorly performing areas to improve.The majority of the Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs) have made atrial fibrillation management a priority, and in London the three Academic Health Science Networks and the SCN have identified atrial fibrillation as being the first area where there is a collaborative effort to improve performance.One of the options now available for clinicians managing patients with atrial fibrillation is the novel oral anticoagulants. These drugs are useful when patients are unable or unwilling to tolerate warfarin and should result in a greater proportion of the population with atrial fibrillation being effectively treated. Additionally, NICE have now approved the use of devices to self-monitor warfarin, reducing the need for patients to attend health centres for blood testing. Again this should make anticoagulation easier and more acceptable for some patients.



Atrial fibrillation economic analysis
(PDF Document, 289.37 KB)




Atrial Fibrillation Quality Standard
(PDF Document, 187.24 KB)

Charles Bonnet Syndrome

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to raise awareness of Charles Bonnet syndrome.

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the number of people in the UK who suffer from Charles Bonnet syndrome.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No assessment has been made of the number of people in the United Kingdom who suffer from Charles Bonnet syndrome.However, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) estimate there are more than 100,000 cases of Charles Bonnet Syndrome in the UK.To raise awareness, the NHS Choices website provides information on Charles Bonnet Syndrome. This can be found at:http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/charles-bonnet-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx.A copy of this web page is attached.  



NHS Choices website Charles Bonnet Syndrome
(PDF Document, 78.85 KB)

Department of Health: Grants

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the job titles of the officials and other individuals on the Department of Health’s Voluntary Sector Grants Hub.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As at 16 November 2015, the job titles of the officials and other individuals in the Department of Health’s Voluntary Sector Grants Hub are:Civil Service Grade / Job TitleFTEsGrade 71Senior Executive Officer (SEO) – Team Leader1.75Higher Executive Officer (HEO)1Higher Executive Officer (HEO) - Senior Account Manager4Executive Officer (EO) - Account Manager7Job titles provided along with grades in instances where staff share the same job title.

NHS: Mental Health

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policy the NHS has about protecting the mental health of its workforce.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England’s recent announcement "A healthy NHS workforce", aims to raise staff awareness and understanding of mental health issues and ensure staff have access to help, support and treatment when they need it.“A healthy NHS workforce” includes, for example, line manager training and, providing NHS staff rapid access to talking therapies. This is currently being tested as part of the Healthy Workforce programme led by NHS England.NHS Employers is working with NHS England and Public Health England on improving NHS staff health and wellbeing. They offer extensive information and tools for managers to support their employees who are demonstrating signs of mental health problems, or returning to work following periods of sickness absence.These resources, which are only available online, can be found at the following link:www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/staff-experience/health-work-and-wellbeing/protecting-staff-and-preventing-ill-health/supporting-line-managers/managers-guide-on-supporting-workplace-mental-health/supporting-staff-who-are-experiencing-mental-health-problems

NHS: Suicide

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many NHS employees have attempted, or committed, suicide in each year between 2009 and 2014.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government has not assessed how many National Health Service employees have attempted, or committed, suicide in each year between 2009 and 2014. The Department does not collect this information centrally.However, the Department is not complacent and commissions NHS Employers to support trusts to improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of their employees, which is the responsibility of employers across the NHS in England.NHS Employers is working with NHS England and Public Health England on NHS England’s recently announced “A healthy NHS workforce", a commitment in its Five Year Forward View “which includes increasing awareness of and addressing mental health issues affecting NHS staff”. A copy of the announcement is attached.



A Healthy NHS Workforce announcement
(Word Document, 27.88 KB)

NHS: Mental Health

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the stigma of mental health problems amongst healthcare workers.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government included in its Mandate to NHS England an objective for them to “make partnership a success”. This includes “championing the Time to Change campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues and reduce stigma, including in the NHS workforce”.In taking this forward, NHS England recently announced the "A healthy NHS workforce" initiative. This aims to raise staff awareness and understanding of mental health issues, helping to ensure they have access to help, support and treatment when they need it. A copy of the announcement is attached.“A healthy NHS workforce” includes, for example, line manager trainingand, providing NHS staff rapid access to talking therapies. Thisis currently being tested as part of the Healthy Workforce programme led by NHS England.In addition, NHS Employers have launched the How are you feeling NHS? toolkit. This has been developed with NHS staff to help bridge a gap in understanding and enable them to: talk openly and regularly about their emotional health; assess the impact emotional wellbeing has on themselves, their colleagues and patients, and help with action planning to enable more good days than bad. The online only resource can be found at:www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/staff-experience/health-work-and-wellbeing/protecting-staff-and-preventing-ill-health/how-are-you-feeling-nhs-toolkit 



A Healthy NHS Workforce announcement
(Word Document, 27.88 KB)

NHS: Sick Leave

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many days were lost through the sickness of healthcare workers in each year between 2009 and 2014.

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what cost was incurred by the NHS due to days lost through the sickness of healthcare workers in each year between 2009 and 2014.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The number of days lost through the sickness of healthcare workers between 2009 and 2014 were:EnglandFull Time Equivalent Days Lost to Sickness Absence (includes non-working days)Full Time Equivalent Days Available (includes non-working days)Sickness Absence Rate2009-1016,745,315380,199,6664.40%2010-1115,947,054383,278,8454.16%2011-1215,555,507377,908,8804.12%2012-1315,947,518376,187,3544.24%2013-1415,385,468378,691,3764.06%2014-1516,423,722386,388,4834.25%Source: Health and Social Care Information CentreThe Government does not record the cost incurred by the National Health Service due to days lost through the sickness of healthcare workers.Employers are responsible for reducing the days lost through sickness of their staff. The Department supports the NHS by commissioning NHS Employers to provide trusts with advice, guidance and good practice on improving NHS staff health and wellbeing which is available on an online only resource at:www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/staff-experience/health-work-and-wellbeing/protecting-staff-and-preventing-ill-health/supporting-line-managers/managers-guide-on-supporting-workplace-mental-health/supporting-staff-who-are-experiencing-mental-health-problemsNHS Employers is also working with NHS England and Public Health England on a £5 million initiative to improve NHS staff health announced in its Five Year Forward View. A copy of the ‘A healthy NHS workforce’ announcement is attached.



A Healthy NHS Workforce Announcement
(Word Document, 27.88 KB)

Antibiotics

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conclusions they have drawn from the recent findings of Antibiotic Research UK about the possibility of a significant surge in winter antibiotic prescriptions; and what assessment they have made of whether government action is required.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The findings of Antibiotic Research UK are consistent with the data included in the most recent report on English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance published on the 16 November 2015. In the winter of 2014 there was a 16.7% increase in antibiotic prescribing in general practice compared to the summer months.Public Health England is working to implement the UK 5 Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and as part of this work our surveillance teams are monitoring the seasonality of antibiotic prescribing. It is unclear currently, whether the rise of prescribing in winter months is due solely to the increase in infections or whether some prescribing is inappropriate.In response to increased usage of antibiotics in winter months, public facing campaigns such as Stay Well This Winter, run by NHS England, take place to increase public awareness of inappropriate prescribing amongst other seasonal concerns.

Mental Health Services

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure equality of treatment for mental and physical illness.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We have put into legislation through the Health and Social Care Act 2012 that mental health should have equal priority to physical health. We have also committed NHS England through the NHS Mandate to achieve parity of esteem between mental and physical health.We are implementing the first waiting times targets for mental health services to ensure more people have timely access to care in the same way they do for treatment for physical health. We have also increased access to talking therapies through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.

Macular Degeneration: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of bevacizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No assessment by the Government has been made on the effectiveness of bevacizumab (Avastin) in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as there are two other effective, licensed treatments for wet AMD which have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Bevacizumab is not licensed for use in the treatment of wet AMD.

Macular Degeneration: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken in the light of the recommendations of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in 2011 that NICE and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency should be instructed to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug bevacizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and produce national guidelines for the use of anti-VEGF agents in AMD.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department has no plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop technology appraisal guidance on the use of bevacizumab for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Bevacizumab is not licensed for use in the treatment of wet AMD. Other licensed drugs are available for the treatment of AMD and have been recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance as clinically and cost effective. The National Health Service in England is legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance. NICE is currently developing a clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of AMD and currently expects to issue final guidance in August 2017.

Macular Degeneration: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency can license the drug bevacizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration in the absence of an application by the company that holds the patent.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an executive agency of the Department of Health, is responsible for the licensing of medicines. The MHRA is only able to assess and grant a licence for a particular use of a medicine once an application has been made and supporting data have been submitted to demonstrate that the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicine are satisfactory for the intended use.

Macular Degeneration: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken in the light of any representations they have received from Clinical Commissioning Groups about removing current barriers preventing them from using the drug bevacizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No action has been taken in response to the correspondence from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to remove current barriers to prevent them from using bevacizumab (Avastin) in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Bevacizumab is not licensed for use in the treatment of wet AMD. Unlicensed medicines can be used to treat patients where there is a special clinical need. There are two other effective licensed treatments for wet AMD recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Macular Degeneration: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential savings to the budgets of Clinical Commissioning Groups from the use of the drug bevacizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration instead of ranibizumab.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No assessment of the potential savings to clinical commissioning group budgets has been made as there are two other effective licensed treatments for wet age-related macular degeneration recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

NHS: National Insurance Contributions

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the additional costs to the NHS of the introduction of the single state pension in April 2016, which will remove the national insurance rebate currently received by NHS employers offering final salary schemes.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Spending Review has announced that National Health Service funding will rise by £3.8 billion in real terms in 2016-17 and by £8 billion in real terms by 2020-21, compared to 2015-16. It is estimated that changes to the state pension, from April 2016, will cost the NHS £1.1 billion.This funding will enable the NHS to meet a range of cost pressures, including increased costs for NHS employers of the introduction of the single state pension.

Home Care Services: Fees and Charges

Lord Lansley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the impact in England of the exemption of a main home from the calculation of assets on the charges that would be payable under the means test for domiciliary care.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Under the Care Act (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014 and the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, local authorities may not charge a recipient of domiciliary care against the value of their main or only home.The Department estimates that around 120,000 people benefit from this exemption at any given time, and that the beneficiaries collectively save approximately £1.3 billion annually.

Exercise

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding they provide for (1) research and development in new technologies to monitor inactivity, and (2) evaluating the impact of local programmes to tackle inactivity.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The usual practice of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and of the Medical Research Council (MRC) is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available.Public funders including the NIHR, the MRC, other Research Councils and Innovate UK fund a wide range of research relating to monitoring of physical activity/inactivity and the development and evaluation of interventions to support and encourage healthy behaviours including physical activity.For example, the NIHR has recently funded a £0.8 million trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Football Fans in Training (FFIT) - a group-based, weight management and healthy living programme delivered by community coaches. The report of the study has been published in the NIHR Journals Library and is attached.



Football Fans in Training trial
(PDF Document, 113.53 KB)

Mesothelioma: North of England

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made in the Comprehensive Spending Review of the needs of mesothelioma patients in the constituencies covered by the Northern Powerhouse.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Spending Review has not made such an assessment. It makes an overall assessment at the national level of the activity increases the National Health Service needs to meet, including as a result of need and demographic change. The assessment is not condition or location specific. It is for individual clinical commissioning groups to assess the health needs of their local populations and how best to meet them.

Mesothelioma: North of England

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made in the Comprehensive Spending Review of the incidence of mesothelioma in the constituencies covered by the Northern Powerhouse.

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made in the Comprehensive Spending Review of the expected incidence of mesothelioma over the next fifty years in children born since 2010 in the constituencies covered by the Northern Powerhouse.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Spending Review has not made assessments on the incidence, or expected incidence, of mesothelioma in constituencies covered by the Northern Powerhouse.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Conflict of Interests

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the joint investigation by the British Medical Journal and The Times which found that contracts made by the Clinical Commissioning Groups with providers could financially benefit board members of the group.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have legal duties under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to manage conflicts of interests when deciding which health services to procure. CCGs must manage any actual or perceived conflicts in a way that is transparent, fair, and protects the integrity of their decision making.NHS England publishes guidance for CCGs on their responsibility to manage conflicts of interest. CCGs must have regard to this.Monitor must ensure that CCGs follow National Health Service regulations on procurement, patient choice and competition, and have powers of investigation if these are not followed.In their recent report ‘Managing conflicts of interest in NHS clinical commissioning groups’ (a copy of which is attached) the National Audit Office found that CCGs generally had arrangements in place to manage conflicts of interest to reduce the risk of commissioners’ decisions being improperly influenced.The NAO made recommendations to the Department, NHS England, Monitor and CCGs to strengthen current arrangements and we would expect the bodies concerned to consider these carefully and take appropriate action in response.Action is already being taken by NHS England including:‒ strengthening its CCG assurance processes;‒ commissioning an independent audit of conflicts of interest management in ten primary care co-commissioning arrangements, with a review to using the learning to strengthen current arrangements;‒ providing training to CCG lay members on management of conflicts of interest in 2015, with more training planned for next year; and‒ reviewing its own internal rules on conflicts of interest and the statutory guidance it issues to CCGs on management of conflicts of interest to ensure that arrangements are robust.



NAO Report Managing Conflict of Interest
(PDF Document, 250.54 KB)

Muscular Dystrophy: Drugs

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect NICE to publish its opinion about the availability of Translarna for the treatment of patients with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, following its approval by the European Medicines Agency in July 2014.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that provides guidance on the clinical and cost effectiveness of drugs and treatments. NICE is currently evaluating Translarna (ataluren) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy through its highly specialised technology programme. NICE currently expects to publish its final guidance in February 2016.The NHS in England is legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE highly specialised technology guidance within three months of its final guidance being issued. In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence.

Care Homes: Finance

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 23 November (HL3565), in discharging their oversight function, about which care homes the Care Quality Commission has alerted local authorities during 2015 that a provider was likely to fail financially and their services cease.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. The CQC has advised that it has not issued any notifications to local authorities under the Market Oversight Scheme to date.

Care Quality Commission: Fees and Charges

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to make regulations under section 85 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in relation to the change in fees proposed by the Care Quality Commission from April 2016.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) fee raising power relates to the registration of providers and inspection against the registration requirements (section 85(1)(a) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008). The Department is proposing to consult shortly on regulations that will clarify that the CQC’s fees include all aspects of its comprehensive inspections. We propose to do this by bringing the CQC’s comprehensive inspections and any associated rating within the scope of its fee raising power.